علي بن أحمد

“The Prophet (S) had given Ali (as) a book sealed with twelve seals and said to him: “Open the first seal and do according to it and then give it to al-Hasan (as) to open the second and to do according to it. Then al-Hasan (as) is to give it to al-Husayn (as) to open the third and to do according to it and then from one to another of the progeny of al-Husayn (as).”

“The cry (from the Heaven), the rising of as-Sufyani, the rising of al-Yamani, killing the pure innocent man and a hand appearing in the sky will be inevitable. There will be also a fright in Ramadan, which will awaken the sleepers, terrify the awake and bring the girls out of their veils.”

Allah revealed to Dawud (as): Why do I see you alone? He said: I have abandoned the people, and they have made me flee to You. He said: Why do I see you silent? He said: My awe of You has silenced me. He said: Why do I see you exhausted? He said: Loving You has exhausted me. He said: Why do I see that you are poor when I have redeemed you? He said: Fulfilling my responsibilities towards You has made me poor. He said: Why do I see you humbled? He said: The greatness of Your majesty, which cannot be described, has humbled me; and that is Your right, O Master. Allah said: So be glad for My reward, for you will have whatever you like on the Day that you will meet Me. You will receive whatever you want from Me on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Sadiq (as) said: Allah revealed to Dawud (as): O Dawud! Be happy by Me, seek pleasure by remembering [Me], and seek enjoyment by speaking to Me. Soon, I will empty the house of the transgressors, and I will place My damnation upon the oppressors.

“The will had been revealed from the Heaven to the Prophet (S). It was a sealed book. No other sealed book had been revealed to the Prophet (S) except the will. Gabriel said: O Muhammad, this is your will to your family among your umma. The Prophet (S) said: “O Gabriel, which of my family?” Gabriel said: “The one, whom Allah has chosen, and his progeny. He is to inherit you with the knowledge of prophethood before Abraham.” The will had seals. Ali (as) opened the first seal and went whereto (to the better world) he had been ordered. Then al-Hasan (as) opened the second seal and went whereto he had been ordered. Then al-Husayn (as) opened the third seal and found in it: “Fight, kill and you are to be killed. Set out with some people towards martyrdom. They will not be martyred except with you.” He gave the will to Ali bin al-Husayn (as) and went. Ali bin al-Husayn (as) opened the fourth seal and found in it: “Ponder long and be silent for knowledge is veiled.” Then he gave it to Muhammad bin Ali (as), who opened the fifth seal and found in it: “Interpret the Book of Allah, confirm your father’s knowledge, bequeath knowledge to your son, humor the umma and announce the truth in fright and safety and do not fear except Allah!” He did and gave the will to the next one.” Ma’ath said: “Is it you?” Imam as-Sadiq (as) said: “O Ma’ath, you are not but to go and narrate this from me. Yes, it is me.” He mentioned twelve names and then became silent. I (Ma’ath) said: “Then who?” He said: “It is just so!”

I heard Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) mentioning al-Qa’im (as). I said: “I hope that his matter (rising) will be so easy.” He said: “It will be not so until you wipe blood and sweat together.”

“Once I said to Imam ar-Redha (as): “May Allah make you succeed! People narrate that as-Sufyani will rise after the rule of the Abbasids declines.” He said: “They tell but falseness! As-Sufyani will rise while the rule of the Abbasids is still prevailing.”

“I heard Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) saying: Every banner that is raised-or comes out-before the appearance of al-Qa’im (as) will be of an oppressive arrogant.”

I heard Musa b. Ja`far (as) say: My father narrated to me from his father from the Master of Worshipers `Ali b. al-Husayn from the Master of Martyrs al-Husayn b. `Ali b. Abi Talib (as). He said: Amir al-Mu’minin `Ali b. Abi Talib (as) passed by a man who was speaking superfluously. So, he stopped by him, and then said: Surely, you are dictating a letter to your Lord through your two guardian [angels]. So, speak about what concerns you, and leave that which does not concern you.

“Once Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as) was asked: Is al-Qa’im born?” He said: “No, he is not. If I live until he is born, I shall serve him as long as I live.”

Muhammad b. al-Husayn al-Khashab. He said: Muhammad b. Muhsan b. `Isa from Yunus b. Thibyan. He said: Al-Sadiq (as) said: Allah revealed to a prophet from the prophets of the Children of Israel: If you would like to meet Me anon in the Guarded Sanctuary, then be, in this world, alone, strange, worried, sorrowful, and away from the people – like a bird flying by itself in an uninhabited land, eating from the tops of trees, and drinking from the water of rivers. When night comes, it dwells alone, without seeking refuge in the other birds, and it finds comfort in its Lord away from the birds.

I heard Aba Talib narrate from `Abd al-Muttalib: Once, I was sleeping in the Hijr [of Isma`il] when I saw a dream that frightened me. So, I went to the soothsayer of Quraysh. I was gowned in a sheet of fur, and my hair flowed to my shoulders. When she looked at me, she noticed the change on my face, and she sat down. At that time, I was the chief of my people. So, she said: What happened to the chief of the Arabs – your colour has changed! Has something terrible happened at this time? So, I said to her: Of course. This past night, while I was sleeping in the Hijr, I saw as though a tree had sprung from my back. Its top had reached heaven, and its branches had reached East and West. I saw a light illuminating from it that was seventy times greater than the light of the Sun. I saw the Arabs and the non-Arabs prostrating to it. Its light would intensify everyday. I saw a group from Quraysh who wanted to cut it down – whenever they approached it, a young man with the most beautiful face and the cleanest clothing would take them, break their backs, and gouge their eyes. So, I raised my hand to hold onto one of its branches, but the young man screamed to me: “Stop, you have no share of it.” So, I said: “Then who has a share in it when the tree is from me?” So, he said: “Its share is for these who cling onto it. You will return to it.” Then, I regained consciousness in fear and worry, and my colour had changed. I saw the colour of the soothsayer change. Then, she said: If you are telling the truth, then a child from your descendants will rule the East and the West, and he will prophesy among the people. So, my worry went away. So, pay attention, Aba Talib, for this may be you. Abu Talib would narrate this saying when the Prophet (s) appeared. He would say: This tree, by Allah, was Aba’l Qasim the Trustworthy.

“People are still (confused and distressed) expecting until Allah sends for this matter (deliverance) one that people have not known whether he has been created yet or not.”

Once ibn Abbas sent a messenger to Ali bin al-Husayn as-Sajjad (as) asking him about this Qur’anic verse, “O you who believe! Be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast.” Ali bin al-Husayn (as) became angry and said to the messenger: “I wish that he, who has sent you with this, faced me with it.” Then he said: “This verse has been revealed about my father and us. Perseverance that we have been ordered of has not occurred yet. It will be for some of our descendants.” Then he added: “From his (ibn Abbas’s) progeny there are some descendants created to be in Hell. They will deviate great masses of people from the religion of Allah. The earth will be dyed with the blood of the descendants of Muhammad’s progeny. Those descendants will rise in unsuitable times and ask for unattainable things. The believers will remain steadfast and persevere until Allah determines and He is the best of judges.”

“Be quiet as long as the Heaven and the earth are quiet! Do not rebel against any one. Your matter is clear and not vague but it is a sign from Allah and not from people. It is brighter than the sun. It is neither ignored by a pious nor by a dissolute. Do you see morning? It is like morning, which is clear to everyone.”

“O Shia of Muhammad’s progeny, you are going to be tested like the kohl in the eye. One knows when the kohl is put into his eye but he does not know when it gets out of it. Just in the same way that one believes in our matter in the morning and recants it in the evening or he believes in it in the evening and when morning comes he recants it.”

“I heard Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) saying: “By Allah, you are going to be tested, clarified and sifted like sifting out the Zu’an from wheat.”

I said to Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (as): “With what will the imam (al-Mahdi) be recognized?” He said: “With calmness and gravity.” I said: “What else?” He said: “You will know him by (executing) halal and haram (permissibility and impermissibility), by the need of people to him whereas he will never need any one and that the weapon of the Prophet (S) will be with him.” I said: “Is he a guardian and a son of a guardian?” He said: “He is not but a guardian and a son of a guardian.”

Once Amirul Mo’mineen (as) looked at his son al-Husayn (as) and said: “My son is a master as the Prophet (S) has called him a master. Allah will make one of his (al-Husayn’s) descendants, whose name will be like the Prophet’s name and who will be like the Prophet (S) in form and morals, appear while people are in advertence, the truth is suspended and oppression is spread everywhere. The inhabitants of the heaven and the people of the earth will be happy with his advent. He is a man with bright forehead, hooked nose, big abdomen, wide thighs with a mole on the right thigh and with separated front teeth. He will fill the world with justice after it has been filled with injustice and oppression.”

“As a man is behind al-Qa’im ordering and forbidding, he (al-Qa’im) will order that he is to be killed. Then everything in the world will fear him.”

“Once I asked Abu Ja’far al-Baqir (as) about the meaning of this saying of Allah, “We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger…,” and he said: “O Jabir, it has a general meaning and a special meaning. The special meaning is that hunger will afflict Kufa and especially the opponents of Muhammad’s progeny and will perish them. As for the general meaning, there will be terror and hunger in Sham that have never been faced before. Hunger will be before the rising of al-Qa’im (as) but terror will be after his rising.”